Silky smooth in texture and perfectly flavored with aquavit, dill and white pepper, this traditional gravlax is delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home.
Prep time: PT10M
Total time: PT3605M
Rating
4.75 stars (4 reviews)
Keywords
easy cured salmon recipe, homemade gravlax recipe
Ingredients
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2- pound skin on salmon filet (sushi-grade, pin bones removed)
3 tablespoons aquavit (or gin, vodka or brandy)
To serve:
Thinly sliced rye bread or crispbread
Small lemon wedges
Fresh dill sprigs
Mustard and Dill Sauce for Gravlax (Gravlaxsås) ((optional))
Categories
appetizers
Main Course
Cuisine
Nordic
Nordic Scandinavian
Norwegian
Swedish
Steps
Crush the peppercorns with the bottom of a small heavy skillet, the side of a chef’s knife, a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Combine the brown sugar, kosher salt and crushed peppercorns in a small bowl. Set aside.
Pat the salmon dry and lay skin side down in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Drizzle with the aquavit and rub it into the surface of the salmon with your fingers. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt, pepper and sugar mixture and rub to coat the surface evenly, making sure it is completely covered. Top with an even layer of chopped dill.
Tightly wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap. Place a cutting board, smaller baking dish or something else that is about the same size as the piece of salmon on top of the fish. Stack a few cans or jars of vegetables or beans on top to weigh the salmon down. Transfer everything to the refrigerator and let the salmon cure for 12 hours or overnight.
Take the salmon out of the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap, cutting board and weights. Drizzle the top of the salmon with some of the accumulated juices from the bottom of the dish and pour off and discard any remaining juices at the bottom of the pan. Flip the salmon over so that it is now skin side up. Wrap with a new piece of plastic wrap and top again with the cutting board and weights. Place it back in the refrigerator for another 12 hours.
Repeat the process above one more time, flipping the salmon so that it is now skin side down again. Rewrap with fresh plastic wrap and replace the board and weights. Back to the refrigerator for 12 more hours.
Take the salmon out of the refrigerator (the total cure time should be about 36 hours) and remove the plastic wrap, cutting board and weights. Using a paper towel, wipe the dill and any remaining rub from the top of the salmon.
Transfer to a platter or cutting board and slice on the bias against the grain of the fish into very thin slices, leaving the skin behind. Serve with rye bread and/or crispbread, mustard dill sauce, lemon wedges and/ or dill sprigs.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 217 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 23 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 62 mg
Sodium: 3593 mg
Sugar: 9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
Reviews
Benny on 2025-11-13 (4 stars): Easy recipe, I probably should have used less of the sugar salt mix as I feel I removed too much of the moisture. Still tastes great though. Just a lesson learned for me.
Kathryn & Allan on 2025-10-29 (5 stars): Delicious take on a favorite summer food! We make it 4 or 5 times every summer. We love your ideas. You have definitely changed the way we make it! We agree about the brown sugar. There are so many versions with salt and/or white sugar, but light brown sugar adds an extra little something that the others don't have!
Jared on 2024-02-05 (5 stars): I've always loved salmon lox, but equally resented how expensive it is off the shelf. I decided to give making my own a go and I've now made this recipe more than a dozen times. It's never failed me, and it has always turned out better than what the grocery store has to offer. At at least a fifth the price, no less.
Kristi on 2022-06-05 (5 stars): So delicious and surprisingly easy!
